Federal officials are pumping more than nine-million dollars into four water quality and conservation projects in New Mexico, including one aimed at revitalizing centuries-old communal canals that deliver water to farmers and ranchers. The head of the Natural Resources Conservation Service visited northern New Mexico on Thursday to tour the oldest acequia in the nation and discuss ways the traditional irrigation canals can be used as a hedge against drought. NRCS Chief Jason Weller says the idea is to make acequias more efficient so they can continue to deliver water to the communities that depend on them for raising livestock and growing crops. Under the program, Weller says federal dollars are being combined with money from local and state governments, nonprofit groups and landowners to get more work done.
Two University of New Mexico researchers say state water managers based their decision to pursue a multimillion-dollar diversion and storage project along the Gila River based on studies that lacked credibility. The Albuquerque Journal reports the researchers outlined their concerns in a letter to the Bureau of Reclamation. The Interstate Stream Commission last year informed the U.S. Interior Department that the state intends to divert water from the river should the effort be deemed economically and environmentally feasible. Researchers Jim Brooks and Dave Propst say the commission's studies were planned, proposed and presented behind closed doors and there wasn't a transparent peer review. The commission is defending its decision, saying there were more than 200 public meetings on the proposed diversion and that the research was exhaustive.
Talks between the security workers who protect Los Alamos National Laboratory and the subcontractor that employs them have broken down. Union officials announced Wednesday that their negotiating team walked out after learning that security company SOC-Los Alamos did not have the ability to deliver better retirement benefits it had promised the union it would pursue. Union agent Chris Mandril accused the company of negotiating in bad faith. He said the union has learned SOC doesn't have the authority to work directly with federal officials to set contract terms. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The talks have been ongoing since January. In April, the two sides agreed to a 60-day extension, meaning the security force would continue working as normal. That extension expires in June.
New Mexico teachers are getting more detail on their evaluations under a new system that had a rocky unveiling last year. The Albuquerque Journal reports the state overhauled its teacher evaluation system to reflect students' standardized test scores, and fewer teachers statewide were rated effective or better this year than last year from more than 78 percent to less than 74.
Teacher complaints led the Public Education Department to turn the usual one-page report into a five-page description of each rating category in an attempt to clear up confusion. Student test- scores account for half a teacher's rating and principal observations make up 40 percent. Teacher attendance and student surveys are also part of the reports the department made available Monday and that districts are distributing to teachers.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office has released new information on a deputy-involved shooting last weekend that left a man dead. They say one hour and 44 minutes elapsed between the time a deputy shot 44-year-old Billy Grimm and when first responders transported the man to a hospital, where he died around 5:30 p.m. Sunday. An autopsy shows Grimm was shot once in the chest. Sheriff's officials say Grimm pulled out a weapon when officers responded to a report of a fight going on in a car parked in the South Valley area. They say a loaded handgun was later found inside the truck Grimm had been driving. Sheriff's officials say Deputy Greg Grundhoffer is on standard paid administrative leave after the shooting, He's been with the department for three years.
New Mexico’s largest electric utility is breaking ground on a new solar generating station south of town in Santa Fe County. The $19 million project will add 10 megawatts to the utility’s renewable portfolio. The 40,000 panels are expected to provide power for about four-thousand average residential customers. The facility will also pay about 165-thousand dollars’ in taxes to the County. By the end of the year, PNM says it will have more than one million solar panels statewide.
After three years of legal battles, a man has pleaded no contest and will face up to life in prison for the 2012 slaying of his girlfriend and her nephew. The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1Egol6j ) that Brian Pulliam changed his plea in District Court Thursday. His trial was scheduled to start next week. Sentencing is scheduled for next Thursday. Prosecutors say Pulliam shot 20-year-old Kirsten Landeau and her nephew 16-year-old Dillon Cearfoss in a northeast Albuquerque neighborhood. His trial was set The plea agreement calls for him to serve the sentences on both crimes concurrently - life, or a minimum of 30 years. Authorities say Pulliam is a member of the Aryan Nation white supremacist and previously served a prison sentence for attempted murder.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have seized nearly two tons of marijuana at a U.S.-Mexico border crossing in southern New Mexico. CBP says officers working at the Santa Teresa port of entry seized over 3,800 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of $3 million. According to CPB, the seizure was made Wednesday when officers using an X-ray machine detected something odd about the floor of a big rig's trailer. The agents drilled into the floor and found marijuana, leading to the dismantling of the floor and the discovery of 727 bundles of marijuana. CPB says the truck's driver was arrested to face charges stemming from the failed smuggling attempt.
Santa Fe Weather: Mostly sunny today, with the high 66. Tonight: Partly cloudy with the overnight low around 39. Tomorrow: Partly sunny with the high near 53 and a slight chance of rain and snow showers before noon, then a slight chance of rain showers.